How College Sitcom Cliche of Me
by wishes on a broken stereo
Summary: Never has a stereotype sounded so appealing to Cameron, but why did it have to be… him? Boy, this is going to be awkward. Glee Project fanfiction; Cameron/Damian.
1. I've Got the World on a String

**Title:**_ How College Sitcom Cliche of Me._  
><strong>Fandom:<strong>_ The Glee Project._  
><strong>Pairing(s?):<strong>_ Cameron/Damian, maybe others as time goes on?_  
><strong>Summary:<strong>_ Never has a stereotype sounded so appealing to Cameron, but why did it have to be… him? Boy, this is going to be awkward._  
><strong>Rating: <strong>_T; subject to change._

A Mr. Cameron Mitchell woke up bright and early one September morning, the late summer sun beaming through the blinds of his bedroom in his parents' northern Texas home. His room, however, was oddly empty. Posters of his favorite bands had been taken down; his guitar was snug in its case instead of resting idly on its stand in the corner; even the clothes that occupied the floor were missing.

Suitcases were piled neatly besides the bedroom door, ready to be dragged to whatever destination the blonde had in mind. The place in question was California's own nocturnal city, Los Angeles. Cameron was returning to the very place where he'd easily had one of the greatest experiences of his life: competing on The Glee Project.

The memories and friends he'd made during the competition were life-altering, and despite Cameron's leaving his flesh and blood, he was excited. He'd finally be able to make a living on his own in the same city that had changed him as a performer and a person. Moving in with his best friend wasn't too bad of a perk, either.

That's right; Damian McGinty, the adorable underdog with the accent capable of making any girl swoon, was Cameron's roommate. He had needed a place close to Glee's film studio, what with the new role, so the nerd had cooked up the brilliant idea of buying an apartment for him with some of the ten thousand dollars he'd won in the Fan Favorite competition. However, after living in such close quarters for so long, it'd have been almost uncomfortable to be apart. So Cameron suggested to move in with Damian, and the Irishman accepted the offer immediately.

Damian had arrived the week before, so the blonde had been receiving texts and tweets from him all week, describing how amazing the place was and the basic layout: a spacious living room, a basic kitchen, and a bedroom and bathroom big enough to share comfortably. It already sounded like home to Cameron, so the sooner he stepped off that plane in LA, the better.

Dark blue eyes glanced at the alarm clock sitting on the otherwise-barren nightstand; 8:25 glowed green in the increasingly bright room. Cameron stumbled out of bed to stretch, yawning. He made his way to the kitchen; the smells of breakfast wafting through his nostrils drew him to the table where his parents were already seated.

His mother greeted him with a kiss and a smile as she pushed a plate of food his way: waffles slathered in maple syrup, eggs scrambled like he liked them, and crispy bacon, accompanied by a mug of coffee, all of it hot and fresh. "Ready to go out and see the world, Robert?" she asked, using his first name.

Cameron resisted the urge to roll his eyes in good humor at the name and nodded earnestly as he ate. He savored the last time he would get the opportunity to taste his mother's cooking for a while. "It's bittersweet, but I think it's time spread my wings, y'know?" he mused, taking a swig of the coffee.

His father glanced up from his morning paper, giving a smile tinged with sadness. He couldn't believe it was time for his only son to leave home. He was twenty-one, though; he couldn't stay forever. "Right, and you'll come visit every so often? Can't have our only child abandoning us when we raised him better than that."

The blonde gave a small chuckle. "Of course, Dad. I couldn't do that to you guys." He finished his breakfast and gave a quick hug to each parent before retreating to his room.

He had to hurry if he was to catch his flight on time. He stripped off his wifebeater, swapping it for a clean one and a blue plaid, long-sleeved button-down. Dark skinny jeans and a white cardigan came next, then his favorite shoes and thick horn-rimmed glasses. A quick brushing of teeth and hair later, he was finally ready.

He gathered his suitcases, attempting to juggle them to save multiple trips, as he took one last glance at his empty room. The reality of leaving finally hit him; he was leaving the memories of growing up behind to make new, adult ones. He accepted that he had to face new obstacles and knew he was ready. He gave a half-smile as he turned around, making his way to the garage to pack his bags in the trunk of his car.

His parents followed him out to help him carry the luggage and pack it away, then each gave their son one last hug, these longer than the ones from breakfast. His mother's eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around Cameron's thin waist, trying not to let the sobs threatening to escape rack her tiny body. Even his father had to hold back a few tears.

"I'm proud of you, son. I really am," he muttered as the blonde parted from him with a sad smile to wipe stray tears away.

"I love you both. Don't ever forget that I love you with all my heart." He ran long, thin fingers through his sandy locks as the slam of the trunk door closing echoed in the garage.

He gave one final goodbye before taking a seat in front of the steering wheel. The engine turning over was the last sound heard before Cameron was off to start his life.

* * *

><p><strong>So this was my first attempt at something outside of my comfort zone of Total Drama Island, and I have just adored The Glee Project since the beginning. Of course, the Dameron pairing caught my eye, and I'd been dying to write for it and have something worth posting. I actually wrote this last September, and it was posted on Tumblr, but I decided to share it on here as well. I hope I haven't massacred anything too badly, since this was pretty much my first time writing Cameron. Hope you enjoyed. <strong>


	2. Home

**Title:**_ How College Sitcom Cliche of Me.  
><em>**Fandom:**_ The Glee Project.  
><em>**Pairing(s?):**_ Cameron/Damian, maybe others as time goes on?  
><em>**Summary:**_ Never has a stereotype sounded so appealing to Cameron, but why did it have to be… him? Boy, this is going to be awkward.  
><em>**Rating:**_ T; subject to change. _

The bump of airplane wheels colliding with ground jostled Cameron from his slumber, although he hadn't remembered falling asleep in the first place. He pulled his phone from his pocket to check the time. 12:13. He'd been out for at least an hour. It made sense; his jitters made him restless the night before. The jet lag probably played a part as well since he was jumping two hours behind his normal sense of time.

Whatever the case, Cameron was exhausted, but stepping off of that plane into the airport itself was so busy, it was hard to feel tired. The smells of coffee, perfumes, colognes, and the various sounds of people and squeaking of luggage blended into one pure dose of sensory overload. Then the sight of one familiar face cleared the mental fog for good.

That green hoodie… That short, scruffy hair the color of dark chocolate… Those piercing blue eyes he could catch from this distance… It was him. His best friend was here just for him.

"Damo!" Cameron exclaimed, lips parting to reveal a grin as he approached the shorter boy. He hadn't the slightest idea he would've missed Damian so much until the Irish boy was right in front of him. The months after filming the competition had felt so oddly empty, and now the reason why was suddenly clear.

"Hey, Cam!" Damian greeted, wrapping his arms around the nerd's lanky body and enveloping him in a warm hug. A grin of his own matched Cameron's, his joy anything but hidden. His best friend was here to stay; what could be better? Certainly not Skyping and texting with an ocean separating them. This right here was pretty perfect.

"Oh, man, I've missed you, Damian. Am I dreaming?" the blonde asked, the sheer happiness radiating from the two of them like rays of sunshine as he returned the embrace.

Damian chuckled and shook his head as he parted from Cameron. "Want me to check for ya?" He reached out as if to pinch the nerd with a mischievous glint in his eyes. He didn't really mind that he was acting a tad childish at the moment; the circumstances gave him the right to, right?

Cameron shook his head with a laugh. "No, no, I'm good! You're not good with rhetorical questions, are you?" he replied, lightly pushing the shorter boy's arm away.

Light blue eyes rolled playfully as Damian made his way to the luggage claim, leaving Cam no choice but to follow close behind. Dark blue eyes darted to slim hips swaying ever so slightly.

_When did his hips start swaying like that?_

Cameron shook the thought from his head upon realizing it was wrong on so many levels to think of his male best friend that way. He kept his eyes on the back of the Irish crooner's head and helped carry his bags to the car.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

The car ride had been extremely pleasant, despite the earlier, one-sided awkwardness. Damian had brought up life back in Derry, where he'd been until about two weeks ago, and the guys of Celtic Thunder. Cameron hung on every word with interest. The piecing together of Damian's life before The Glee Project brought a new sense of knowing the boy before him. They may have been best friends, but they didn't know absolutely everything about each other yet.

Cameron had discussed his own home life in suburban Colleyville: the performances he'd lined up at coffee shops since returning home, some new songs he was considering as possible covers, his girlfriend… or problems with his girlfriend. He'd been feeling utterly lost recently; the kind of love he shared with Macy Marie Maloy was now unknown. Were the romantic feelings he'd felt in the beginning still there, or had they dwindled to something along the lines of a sibling or platonic love? It was all so confusing and nerve-racking. The blonde was glad to get a little distance to sort things out.

The car pulled to a smooth stop in the parking lot. Damian moved his arms toward the apartment complex with a flourish. "I present to you our home until our shenanigans get us evicted, Mr. Mitchell." He gave a grin.

The place was beautiful, hands down. Building after building lined the streets, tall and painted a periwinkle blue. Shrubs lined the fronts, and trees spotted the whole land. A small playground and even a large pool could be seen from their place.

Cameron took it in slowly, his expression something akin to awe. His first time out on his own, and he was living here? It slightly reminded him of that old show with the twins living in that fancy hotel with the smart candy-counter girl and scatterbrained maintenance guy.

"That was how I looked, too, I assume," Damian joked. "Now c'mon, let's get your things."

Something told Cameron he was going to definitely enjoy this experience…


End file.
